A Roman emperor built a huge wall across Britain — and soldiers from all over the world lived on it.
Want more detail? Read this lesson at B2/C1 level →
These are the new words for Hadrian's Wall. Match each word (1–8) to its meaning (A–H). Say your answers out loud — "I think 1 is D" — then check.
1 = C (a wall) · 2 = A (an emperor) · 3 = G (an army) · 4 = E (a soldier)
5 = B (a fort) · 6 = D (a border) · 7 = H (a gate) · 8 = F (to guard)
Read each part. Then try the questions from memory, and talk about the last one.
Nearly 2,000 years ago, the Romans ruled a very big empire. Their army came to Britain and took the south. But the north was cold and wild. The people there — the Romans called them the Caledonians — fought hard, and they were never beaten. They came over the border again and again to steal animals and to fight.
In the year 122, the Roman emperor Hadrian came to Britain. He was tired of the fighting in the north. So he gave a simple order: "Build a wall." He wanted a clear line between the Romans and the people in the north.
The wall was enormous. It went across the whole top of Britain, from the sea in the east to the sea in the west — about 73 miles. It was very thick and taller than a person. There was a deep ditch in front of it, and a road behind it. Along the wall there were small forts and tall towers. Soldiers stood on top of the wall and watched the land in the north.
1. Why did Hadrian want to build a wall?
2. Where did the wall go, from one side to the other?
1. He was tired of fighting in the cold, wild north. He wanted a clear line between the Romans and the people there.
2. Across the whole top of Britain, from the sea in the east to the sea in the west — about 73 miles.
Here is a surprise. The soldiers who lived on the wall were not from Rome. They came from many different lands in the empire. Some came from Syria, some from Spain, some from near the big rivers of Europe. About 15,000 soldiers lived along the wall. After 25 years in the army, they could become Roman citizens.
Life on the wall was not only fighting. Behind the wall there were forts with warm baths, shops and small towns. Families lived there too. At one fort, called Vindolanda, people found very old letters in the ground. One letter is about a present from home: warm socks and underpants, because Britain was so cold! Another letter is from a woman. She asks her friend to come to her birthday party. It is one of the oldest letters written by a woman in the whole Roman world.
But there was danger too. The people in the north did not go away. Sometimes they came over the wall to fight and to steal. The soldiers went out through the gates to watch the land. For a soldier from a warm country, this cold, rainy place, far from home, was very hard.
1. Where did the soldiers on the wall come from?
2. What did people find at Vindolanda, and what do the letters tell us?
1. Not from Rome, but from many lands in the empire — Syria, Spain, and near the big rivers of Europe. About 15,000 of them.
2. Very old letters. They tell us about normal life: a present of warm socks and underpants, and a woman's invitation to a birthday party.
The wall was a busy border for about 300 years. Soldiers lived on it, fixed it, and guarded it. But an empire cannot last forever. Rome became weaker. It had problems everywhere. So, about 1,600 years ago, the Roman army left Britain. The soldiers went away. No one guarded the wall anymore.
For hundreds of years, people took the stones from the wall. They used them to build farms, houses and churches. In many places, the great wall became just a low line of stones in the grass. But it did not disappear.
Today, Hadrian's Wall is famous. People come from all over the world to see it. Many people walk next to it, all the way from one sea to the other. When you stand on the old wall, you can think about the soldiers who lived here, so far from home, nearly 2,000 years ago.
1. Why did the Roman army leave the wall?
2. What happened to the stones of the wall after the Romans left?
1. Rome became weaker and had problems everywhere, so about 1,600 years ago the army left Britain. No one guarded the wall.
2. For hundreds of years, people took the stones to build farms, houses and churches. In many places only a low line of stones is left.
To tell this story, we need to say where things are. Small words called prepositions do this job. Here are the important ones.
Complete each sentence with in, on, at, next to, behind or under.
1. Hadrian's Wall is the north of Britain.
2. The soldiers stood the top of the wall and watched.
3. People showed their things the gate before they went through.
4. A long road ran the wall, very close to it.
5. People found old letters the ground at Vindolanda.
1. in (inside a place — the north)
2. on (on top of the wall)
3. at (at a point — the gate)
4. next to (very near, at the side)
5. under (below — the ground)
Choose the right one. Remember: in = inside, on = on a surface, at = a point or place.
1. The soldiers lived a fort.
2. There was a tower the wall.
3. A guard waited the gate.
4. Many soldiers came from lands the empire.
1. in (inside the fort)
2. on (on top of the wall)
3. at (at a point — the gate)
4. in (inside the empire)
Fill each gap with in, on, at, next to, behind or under. Read it aloud when you finish.
Hadrian's Wall is Britain. The soldiers lived forts the wall, in the south. Every day, guards stood the wall and watched. People stopped the gate to show their things. Today, we find old letters the ground.
in (Britain) · in (forts) · behind (the wall) · on (the wall) · at (the gate) · under (the ground)
Use in for inside, on for a surface, at for a point, and next to / behind / under to say exactly where.
There is a real podcast about Hadrian's Wall. It is for native speakers, so it is fast and quite difficult — that is normal! You do not need to understand every word.
From the Noiser podcast network. About 50 minutes. Open Spotify and search "Short History Of Hadrian's Wall" to find the episode.
Open the show on Spotify →Do all three tasks out loud. Use the timer to keep talking.
Tell the story of Hadrian's Wall in your own words. Use these steps to help you: the Romans in Britain → the emperor Hadrian builds a wall → the wall goes from sea to sea → soldiers from many lands live on it → old letters at Vindolanda → the Romans leave and the wall stays.
Try to use prepositions of place — in, on, at, next to, behind, under — and some of the key words (wall, emperor, army, soldier, fort, border, gate, guard).
The Romans built a wall to keep people out. Is a wall a good way to stop people? Do you know any other famous walls or borders? What do you think about them?
Describe a place you know well — your town, your home, or a place you like. Say where things are. Use in, on, at, next to, behind and under.
Not sure what to talk about? Choose one: